1. You can tell if someone has HIV. Truth: You cannot tell if someone has HIV by looking at them. No symptoms develop immediately after the initial infection, so most people with HIV are unaware that they have become infected. But it is often right after initial infection that the person is most infectious and can transmit HIV to someone else, even though they look and feel healthy. 2. There is no need to get an HIV test. Truth: Knowing your HIV status is your right and your obligation to yourself and others. If you know your HIV status, you can get early care treatment if you are positive, and if you are negative, keep practicing safe behavior to stay negative. The majority of people with HIV do not know that they have the virus, and that perpetuates the spread of the infection. Knowledge is power and prevention. 3. AIDS isn’t a problem in the United States. Truth: It is estimated that more than one million people are living with HIV in the United States. AIDS was first identified in the United States in 1981. In the late 1990s the rate of AIDS diagnoses slowed down, but between 2001 and 2005 the estimated number of diagnoses has been increasing a little each year. 4. Only homosexuals are affected by AIDS. Truth: HIV/AIDS is a disease that affects humans. Both sexes are vulnerable to HIV infection. Worldwide, the most common form of infection is through unprotected heterosexual sex. In fact, globally, there are about 17.7 million women living with HIV, and 2.3 million children (under age fifteen). Adolescent girls are at increased risk of HIV infection through sex for many reasons, including biological susceptibility, having sex with older men, not recognizing their partners’ risk behaviors, or because of their vulnerability to violence, abuse, or rape. 5. There’s a cure for AIDS. Truth: There is no cure for HIV/AIDS, but AIDS does not equal death. You can live a long time with HIV before developing AIDS, especially if you have access to ARVs (antiretroviral drugs). There has been a lot of progress in the development of these drugs, but ARVs are not a cure. Many people claim to have cures, but the sad fact is that the cure does not yet exist. 6. Condoms don’t protect you from HIV. Truth: If you are sexually active, then condoms are the best way to protect yourself from HIV infection. When used correctly and consistently, condoms can provide an effective barrier, blocking the pathway of HIV during sexual activities. If you are on “the pill,” DepoProvera, or Norplant, you still need to use condoms to prevent getting HIV or other sexually transmitted infections. If you are having oral sex, you also need to use condoms. You can use male condoms and female condoms. Both need to be latex to have the maximum protection. Remember, HIV infection is preventable! 7. You can get HIV from kissing. Truth: HIV does exist in saliva, but there is no evidence that the virus is spread through saliva and there are no confirmed cases of infection by kissing. You can’t get HIV from hugging, having meals and drinks, or sharing a bathroom with someone who is living with HIV. The body fluids that have high concentrations of HIV are primarily blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. 8. You can’t get HIV from someone on ARVs. Truth: ARVs can help keep down the viral load in an HIV-positive person, and this will help keep them much healthier, but these drugs won’t keep someone living with HIV from infecting someone else with HIV. 9. Two HIV-positive people don’t need to use a condom if they’re having sex together. Truth: Practicing safer sex is important for HIV- positive partners too. Reinfection can happen, and this could impair the impact of the ARV medicines if drug-resistant strains of HIV are passed on from one partner to another. 10. HIV-positive women can’t have children. Truth: Women living with HIV can have children, and can have children who are not HIV-positive, thanks to medicines and special treatment that can be implemented to prevent HIV infection passing from the mother to the child. Without any interventions, though, between 25 and 30 percent of mothers will pass the virus to their newborn because HIV can be transmitted to an infant during the mother’s pregnancy, labor, or delivery and through breast-feeding. Vivian Mercedes López Regional Senior HIV/AIDS UNICEF Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Office Mark Connolly Senior Adviser UNICEF Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Office 1. Children are rarely abused sexually. Truth: Unfortunately, child sexual abuse is more common than you think. It happens every day. Exact statistics are impossible to track because many cases are not reported. 2. If somebody abuses you, it’s your fault. Truth: It is never your fault if you are abused. The abuser is responsible for his/her own behavior. It doesn’t matter what you wear, what you say, or what you do, no one has the right to abuse you verbally, physically, emotionally, or sexually. 3. Touching or fondling is not sexual abuse. Truth: Sexual abuse is defined as the forcing of sexual acts by one person onto another. It may be in the form of fondling, touching, intercourse, or exposing sexual parts of the body. 4. Children are only sexually abused by strangers. Truth: Statistics show that most sexual abuse is committed by someone the victim knows and trusts—a family member, family friend, or someone else close to the child. 5. Bullying is part of growing up. It’s not abuse and can’t hurt you. Truth: Bullying is one of the most common forms of violence in our society. According to the National Education Association, an estimated 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students. Bullying = abuse. 6. It is a parent’s right to discipline a child however they want. Truth: No one—not even your parents—has the right to abuse you in any way. If you face any abuse at home, talk to a trusted adult and get help! 7. Abuse only occurs in poor and dysfunctional families. Truth: Abuse can happen in families of all ethnicities and socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. Money, education, and appearances don’t necessarily protect anyone from abuse. 8. If you don’t talk about the abuse, it will go away. Truth: Not talking about the abuse won’t make it go away. Memories may be temporarily blocked, but the effects will often surface later in life. Telling a trusted adult or a good friend will help you confront the situation, put a stop to the abuse, and begin the healing process. 9. You can always tell when a person has been abused. Truth: Signs of sexual, emotional, or verbal abuse are less visible than those of physical abuse. Every individual has a unique reaction to abuse. Some withdraw, some become angry and aggressive, and many just want to forget about it so they pretend it never happened. That’s why talking about it is so important. 10. Children who are abused will abuse others when they grow up. Truth: Many children and young people who have been victims of abuse heal and go on to lead normal lives like everyone else. Abuse in childhood does not automatically lead to aggressive behavior. However, being abused is not an excuse for becoming an abuser. Clara Sommarin Child Protection Specialist UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office